Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-04-27
LUCK BY DETECTIVES.

A few weeks ago the writer spent
several hours in country inn with
number of detectives, and the fol-
lowing adventure is given just as
narrated: .
Luck has much to do with success
in our profession, said short, thick
set man with iron gray hair, as he TIT.
ed back against the wall. Indeed, II
you are following a blind trail you
must depend upon luck to help you
out. A few years ago I was sum-
moned by telegram to a small town
to take hold of a murder case. An
old lady living alone on the outskirts
ofthe town had been found murdered
but the crime had occurred at least
two days before the discovery.
That robbery was the motive was
proved by the fact that the house
had been thoroughly ransacked. She
was known to have had several heir
looms, and everything had been
taken. The search had to be so thor
ough that it was likely the murderer
had spent several hours in the house
after the horrible deed. He had even
taken the old Woman's spectacles,
snuff-box, thimble and other trifies
of that sort, but he had come and de-
parted without leaving trace.
Well, the first inference was that
he had come and gone in the night.
The next inference got me into
trouble at once. The local constableS
and all the townspeople had made up
their minds that the murderer was
young man named Winthrop, the
old lady's nephew, who lived near
Leeds. 1t was known that he had
very often appealed to her for mon
ey when hard up, and that only two
or three weeks before the murder
she had refused to advance him an
other penny.
It was a fair clew to work on, and
I went to Leeds to work up John
Winthrop. He could not be found,
but l found friends of his who
strengthened the case against him.
The day previous to the murder he
was hard up and tried to borrow
money. The day after the murder
he had plenty of money and offered
to lend some. He was q gambler
and all that was bad, and no one
would be surprised to hear that he
had committed murder. Hunt as l
would I could not turn him up. He
seemed to have dropped right out
of the world. For six weeks | went
up and down the country, seeking
everywhere all in vain.
There was one thing in the case
that puzzled me. Why had the muir
derer packed up and carried away
all the trifling articles l have men
toned? A tramp would not have
done it; but what the nephew could
want of them was more than l could
understand. 1 had never met with
ANYTHING like it in all my experience,
and nv mind was half made up on
the very start that the crime was the
work of a lunatic.
After siXOr seven weeks or faithful
work the case was practically aban-
doned. One day was at Willesden
Junction and among other people
there waiting for the train was lone
woman about fifty years of age: AS
she sat reading her spectacles fell of,
and one glass rolled out of the frame:
1t was my fortune to sit near her and
pick up the glass. AS l did so she
said:
"There they 20 again. l never
saw such a pair of glasses in my llfe."
1.-THE optician did not give you a
good fit" observed.
"Oh, I didn't get 'em of an opti-
clan; l bought 'em. .ofa stranger while
| was travelling, but I was never so
cheated in my life"
"Was it very long ago."
"About three weeks"
Here"
"Oh, no. 1t was while I was in
the country. l had lost my glasses
and was fretting about it when the
man asked me to try these. They
seemed to fit me nicely, and 1 gave
him half a crown for them."
l was breathing hard about this
time, and it required strong effort
to control my voice as I said:
81 think he was cousin of mine.
Can you remember his description ?"
"Certainiy. He was a smallish
man, with black hair and eyes, and
he walked lame. On the back of his
right hand was an initial in India
ink"
"He's the one, madam, and Pm
sorry he cheated you. Let me give